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Soil Pollution

Soil is a mixture of mineral, plant, and animal materials that forms during a long process that may take thousands of years. It is necessary for most plant growth and is essential for all agricultural production. Soil pollution is a buildup of toxic chemical compounds, salts, pathogens (disease-causing organisms), or radioactive materials that can affect plant and animal life.

Seven billion people live on our earth. Every one of us creates waste such as food packages made of cardboard and plastic, aluminum cans, worn out tires, used paper, broken down cars, bent bicycle wheels, old toothbrushes, grass clippings, leftover food, old movie tickets, empty containers of cleaning products, etcetera …..Whatever we throw away. Where does it all go?

In towns and cities all over the world, trash is put into a dump. A dump is a place where trash is left in one spot on top of the ground or in deep holes in the earth. The holes are filled with trash. This is done year after year, until there is no more room at the dump. Then, a new dump is begun. In some towns, there is no room left for dumps. Trash has to be moved to the dumps in other towns.

One of the worst problems with older dumps is that polluting chemicals were dumped there before any rules were made about how to handle it. Those chemicals seep into the soil and into the water, polluting that also.

Source 

http://www.kidsecologycorps.org

http://kidsresearchexpress-3.blogspot.com